Radio-wave treatment cuts high blood pressure

ZAPPING the inside of an artery with radio waves can reduce high blood pressure even in people for whom drugs don’t work. If the technique can be used routinely, it would cut the risk of stroke and heart disease for hundreds of thousands of people.

The procedure targets nerves surrounding the kidney, which are housed within the wall of the renal artery. The radio waves are delivered via a probe inserted through the patient’s upper thigh.

Murray Esler of the Baker IDI Institute in Melbourne, Australia, a member of the team that has been trialling the procedure, says these nerves …

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